The power of taxidermy through history

OK I'm bored, deal with it. Just find it so interesting to see these famous animals standing today looking how they looked decades or over a hundred years ago.

BALTO the Siberian Husky. Died in 1933 of old age.

With snowbound conditions and a fatal outbreak of the contagious diptheria, Nome, Alaska in 1925 was facing a huge mortality rate is medicine didn't arrive soon. No cars or planes could get there in the conditions that had been existing for days. They only way to stop the spread was to bring the serum with a relay of a dog sled teams. The team trekked along the Iditarod trail from Anchorage, with the antidote, with the last stretch of 54 miles coming down to Gunner Kaassen and his team of dogs, which had in the lead a Siberian Husky named Balto. Through whiteout conditions Kaassen disoriented not being able to see his hand in front of his face, but Balto never swayed and kept on the trail through the whiteout snow and -23 degree temps, delivering the medicine to Nome.

Sergeant Stubby. Died in 1926.
The only dog to be promoted to Sergeant in the US Army was a stray. Following training in the US where he was a mascot for US soldiers at Yale Field, he was snuck on a deployment ship. When he was discovered he won over the commanding officer by saluting him with his paw on routine command to "Present Arms". He ended up being the dog sent into No Mans Land looking for wounded soldiers while ducking bullets and missiles. He was also used to detect mustard gas and earned his Sergeant status when he found a German spy hiding in some nearby foliage.Stubby experienced 17 major battles on the Western Front and was in the trenches for 18 months. He returned to the U.S. to collect his medals and meet the president and became the football mascot at Georgetown where he pushed a ball around to cheers of the crowds at halftime.

BARRY the SAINT BERNARD. Died in 1814

Barry was a large St. Bernard who was stationed at the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and who saved over 40 people in the Alps. One rescue was of a young boy was was passed out in an ice cave. Barry licked his skin warm to wake him and then carried the boy on his back all the way down to safety. For his hard work and service over the years a monk arranged for Barry to live out his life in comfort in Bern, Switzerland.

OWNEY. Died in 1897.

Owney was an Albany Post Office dog who visited all 48 States of the contigous United States, riding the rails protecting mail bags of the U.S.P.S. He even got to sail on steamships to Asia and ride the rails throughout Europe protecting the US mail bags. During one time a U.S. Mail bag accidently fell off a wagon and Ownery jumped and stayed behind to guard it. When the clearks returned to the main office they noticed Owney was missing. When they backtracked their trip, they found Owney sitting on top of the mail bag. Owney received every medal attainable by the US Post Office over his career.

BELKA AND STRELKA.

Russian space dogs who were the first creatures ever to survive orbiting the earth for 24 hours in August of 1960. Decendants of Strelka are still living today.

COMANCHE. Died of Colic in 1891.Comanche, the only US Army survivor from the Battle of Little Bighorn. Comanche was the horse of Captain Miles Keogh of the 7th Cavalry. He was Captain Keogh's horse in a battle in Kansas a couple years earlier and took an arrow to his hindquarters but still carried Keogh throughout the whole battle. At the Battle of Little Bighorn he again carried Keogh into battle. Comanche was shot 7 times and speared(You can see some of the scars above). He was shot four times to his back foreshoulder, once to his hoof and once to each of his hind legs. Comanche was found in a ravine a day later where he "crawled down to, to die and be eaten by the crows". Sergeant Milton DeLacey and his men found Comanche, raised him up and cared for him removing the bullets and tending to the wounds. He was brought back to fort Meade where he was cared for and treated "like a prince". He died years later at the age of 29 of Colic and is one of only two horses to be given a military funeral by the U.S.

STATION JIM. Died in 1896.

Station Jim was a canine collector for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. Station Jim started his collecting work at just four months old. His tricks included sitting up and begging and barking when money was put into his harness. He would bark and put out discarded lit marches with his paws. He would play leap frog with the boys that collected on the platforms. Station Jim suddenly passed away in his harness on his platform on the night on November, 19th 1896.